There was much rejoicing!

["Tony Sims" <simstony@domain.elided>]

IT STARTED!!!  I was excited just to get the engine back in the GTV Thursday
night, but today, IT STARTED!  THE FIRST TRY!  OK, not exactly the first try.
The first try it was probably still building fuel pressure, but on the second
try it coughed and on the third try IT STARTED!

Right after it started, it would idle smooth at 800 RPM.  This is too low for
a cold engine, but a small self satisfied smile did creep across my lips.  The
TA on this car was so far gone the little pin had gone turtle inside the TA
body, and it was obvious that the PO had tried to compensate by adjusting the
pump.  When I picked up the new TA from Wes Ingram, he gave me some tips for
getting the pump adjusted closer to spec so I would at least have a chance to
get it to start (I bought his book while there, of course).

Oil pressure pegged the gauge when first started.  After the car warms up to
operating temp the needle points at about 2/3 of the gauge at 800 rpm, and it
pegs as soon as I rev it.  The water temp came up to about 200, then I got out
and adusted the fan thermostat and it settled right in at about 185, right
where it used to run with the engine driven fan.

The exhaust will be 2.5".  Right now it's running straight out of the 2.5"
collector I had welded on the downpipes, and it sounds glorious!  I realize
some muffling will be necessary, but I'm tempted to have a psuedo-GTAm stinger
made to use on track days!  Probably get us all run off of PIR by the city
council...

This might not seem like a huge accomplishment, but it feels like one.  6
months of rebuilding, on what started as a quick project to replace some
gaskets and get the RTV out of the engine.  New pistons and liners (10.4:1),
all new bearings, new lower chain, new clutch and TO bearing, an electric fan,
new transmission seals, a bunch more front suspension and steering parts, a
new thermostatic actuator for the Spica pump, and probably other stuff I've
forgotten now.  Stripping the block and head to bare aluminum, everything
cleaned, measured, adjusted, cleaned again, polishing the Spica lines,
stripping and painting and who knows what else!  I have to admit to feeling
some satisfaction for doing all this work myself, and a great deal of
gratitude to my friends from AROO and the Alfa Digest for all the advice and
encouragement.  I certainly could have done more, but this was a project I did
not budget for, and I am grateful my wife was willing to let me bend the rules
(a lot) to do the work I did.

I think I'll have a beer now...

Cheers,
Tony
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